Whew...

[Amuseddaysleeper]

I agree that it is sometimes true, maybe often true, that the Spurs beat themselves in losses.

But it annoys me when people say things like, "Well the Spurs shot 35%, got outrebounded, and the Big 3 looked poor, but we still only lost by 7," when the Suns shot below their average and couldn't hit an open 3-pointer to save their lives. Both teams played poorly in certain areas, and I think it's arrogant to say that the Suns didn't have a lot to do with their own victory.

Then you might wanna skip my above post.


I still believe the Spurs lost the game due to silly mistakes down the stretch and missing point blank shots, but really, the Suns intensity proved how badly they wanted the game.

The question is whether or not they can keep up the intensity every single night in the playoffs.

You guys should make up on a lot of ground with the upcoming stretch. I think it's good for teams to be challenged this late in the season because it already puts them in a strong mindset about what to expect in the playoffs.

[endrity]

I agree that it is sometimes true, maybe often true, that the Spurs beat themselves in losses.

But it annoys me when people say things like, "Well the Spurs shot 35%, got outrebounded, and the Big 3 looked poor, but we still only lost by 7," when the Suns shot below their average and couldn't hit an open 3-pointer to save their lives. Both teams played poorly in certain areas, and I think it's arrogant to say that the Suns didn't have a lot to do with their own victory.

They used the same argument when they barely beat the Mavs two weeks ago. They said Parker and Manu played bad, otherwise they should have killed the Mavs. Parker was a little off his game, but Manu had Kidd in his face the whole game and they actually said that during the GDT. Manu is exactly the kind of player Kidd usually defends well.

On the other hand Terry played awful, missing open shot after open shot, Josh is still figuring his way into this new offense, and Dirk got to the line but other than a 3rd quarter stretch he neither shot the ball well. All of them usually play well against the Spurs, but their fans conviniently forgot that.

The fact of the matter is that Shaq was brought to Phoenix to help them against the Spurs. I think he does. I think he will help them with the typical half-court teams, as the Boston game also shows. The problem for Phoenix now is that they really are vulnerable against fast teams. With the exception of Amare, they are can be possibly outquicked at every other position. It is a little ironic I think that the system that the Suns forced onto the rest of the league, is the one that might be their demise in the plyaoffs. The Jazz, LA, and GS are the ones that Suns should really try to avoid I think. For my money I think they match up well with Dal, LA, and Houston. NO did beat them with Shaq, but I think with a little more practice, that matchup is not as favourable to the Hornets as the regular season games (0-4 record for the Suns) show.

[SpursDynasty]

Duncan and Manu missed a couple of point blank shots. End of story. Phoenix is still mediocre and they will lose some more games and finish 50-32.

[LEONARD]

Phoenix is still mediocre and they will lose some more games and finish 50-32.

*do ented

[endrity]

Lol, Leonard. You trully have made a mission out of showing SD's stupidity. We all get it though, we know he is a dumbass.

I honestly believe he gets pleasure out people getting all riled up for what he says. Just let him be. If people ignore him long enough, he will stop at some point.

[Shred]

Duncan and Manu missed a couple of point blank shots. End of story. Phoenix is still mediocre and they will lose some more games and finish 50-32.

Shaq and Stoudemire missed some point-blank layups, too. I distinctly remember one series in the 4th where the Suns had 1-2 offensive rebounds but their point-blank put-backs didn't go in, so those kinds of things cut both ways.

[TampaDude]

Folks, the WC is tight for a reason...

[Obstructed_View]

I still think the Shaq trade will ultimately make the Suns better than they were before, but I don't think their defense is sound because they happened to catch the Spurs and Celtics on bad days. NBA teams beat each other all the time, and the fact that the Suns manage to win a game here or there just means they have a chance to avoid being swept by whoever they face in the playoffs. Like I said, I think the Suns will figure out how to play with Shaq and how to play their offensive game at the same time, and when that happens they'll be a much more dangerous playoff opponent, but I don't think they've done it any more than I think the Spurs' winning streak meant that they were playing good basketball.

[BUMP]

i think this is the start of something good for the Suns. it works perfect for them with about 20 games left, they have just enough time to gel with Shaq in there and not too muh time to where they get bored and start to fall back down. i never thought the Suns would collapse and be the team that misses the postseason. i still think Golden State will be the odd team out